A wise woman once said … nothing.

Do you tend to …

• shy away from certain kinds of group activities?
• express yourself in writing?
• enjoy solitude?
• dislike small talk?
• listen more than you talk?
• do your best work on your own?
• avoid conflict?
• think before you speak?
• feel drained after group interactions, even if you’ve enjoyed yourself?

Photo by Andrew Kudrin from Novosibirsk, Russia (CC-BY-2.0) via Wikimedia Commons

If you answered “yes” to most of my questions, join the club.

Don’t worry,

I’m not talking about a club where people party to the beat of loud music, or meet up in noisy restaurants, talking over one another.

I know that would make you uncomfortable.

I’m using the term “club” figuratively to describe 57 percent of the U.S. population

(that’s right, more than half)

who are introverts.

You may be wondering what exactly separates introverts from their polar opposites, extroverts.

“Extroverts are energized by people, and wilt or fade when alone. They often seem bored by themselves, in both senses of the expression. Leave an extrovert alone for two minutes and he will reach for his cell phone. In contrast, after an hour or two of being socially ‘on,’ we introverts need to turn off and recharge,” writes Johnathan Rauch of The Atlantic. “This isn’t antisocial. It isn’t a sign of depression. It does not call for medication. For introverts, to be alone with our thoughts is as restorative as sleeping, as nourishing as eating.”

Still with me?

Then you’ll be interested in a book called Introvert Power by Laurie Helgoe.

“Most Americans, whether introverted or extroverted, have learned to look like extroverts,” Helgoe explains.

But, the truth is, an introvert needs to embrace her need for alone time in order to truly flourish.

Summoning her own introvert power, Laurie Helgoe steamrolls stigmas and presents introversion in a refreshingly positive light.

Being introverted, Helgoe asserts, isn’t a weakness or condition that needs to be overcome. Introverts have incredibly valuable ideas and gifts to contribute to society—they simply need to do it in their own way, unashamedly.

Sometimes, learning how to channel creativity through an introverted personality and bestow it on our gregarious culture can be a challenge, but Introvert Power helps readers build the confidence to follow their hearts and realize their dreams—without compromising their precious quota of quiet and alone.

This is a book that deserves to be read by introverts and shared with the extroverts that love them.

I should know …

I’m part of the “silent” majority struggling to adapt to an increasingly loud all CAPS world.